Synopses & Reviews
With texts by Americas top comedians and clowns: Woody Allen, Candice Bergen, Sandra Bernhard, Carol Burnett, Chevy Chase, Ellen DeGeneres, Phyllis Diller, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Goldthwait, Goldie Hawn, Eric Idle, Don Knotts, Lisa Kudrow, Jay Leno, Garry Marshall, Penny Marshall, Steve Martin, Paul Reubens, Joan Rivers, Roseanne, Garry Shandling, Martin Short, Dick Van Dyke, John Waters, Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters among others!!!
"Over the years, I have picked my way from one obsession to another at the monthly Pasadena Rose Bowl Swap Meet in an undefined effort to shed light on the overlooked. Five years ago, I started to collect paintings most people hate. Works of such sappy sentimentality its impossible not to picture the painters tear drops mingled with his brushstrokes as he stands in front of the masterwork: a work completed in the grand tradition of the justifiably labeled, ugliest genre of them all. Clown paintings." Diane Keaton
The world needs its clowns. Its the clowns of society who make us laugh sometimes and who help us view our lives with greater clarity and perspective. Bigger than life, with their exaggerated features and makeup, dressed in their gaudily mismatched and hilariously oversized outfits, clowns refuse to be overlooked. And yet, the portrait of the clown has been all but ignored. Trained to respond respectfully to serious portraiture, we try to read meaning into their big mouths, prosthetic noses, and unruly tufts of hair. Ultimately, the paintings are mysteries: what did amateur artists, who lavished so much time on these iconic images, hope to capture and accomplish?
Clown Paintings is a twisty little illustrated book that showcases 65 outrageous and compelling clown portraits, painted by amateurs and selected by actor-director Diane Keaton. By turns hilarious and heartfelt, joyful and mortifying, these artworks were collected over the years by Keaton, who found herself as mesmerized by their mute eloquence as she was by their bad taste. Its easy to see what drew Keaton to them. They embody contradiction; theyre fabulous and horrible, hysterical and dignified, generic yet absolutely specific. And above all in the grand clown tradition way out there. The clowns, from whom we expect mischievous, out-of-control behavior, are painted as solemn and decorous subjects to contemplate. Instead of distracting us with brooms, squawking horns, rubber mallets, and slapstick humor, we get the chance to look at them carefully and to consider how they not only make us laugh, but how they allow us to look more closely at ourselves. And to contemplate the abyss.
Synopsis
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About the Author
Diane Keaton is one of Hollywoods leading ladies. Since her screen debut in Lovers and Other Strangers, Keaton has proven to be an extremely versatile actress, director and producer. Her acting career spans three decades, having appeared in over 25 films, including The Godfather trilogy, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Annie Hall (for which she received an Academy Award for best actress ), Father of the Bride, and The First Wives Club. Keaton also received Academy Award nominations for her roles in the films Reds and Marvins Room. She is the director of a number of films including Heaven, Unstrung Heroes, and Hanging Up. Keaton most recently directed, as well as executive produced (along with Columbia Tri-Star and Brad Grey Entertainment) the TV pilot Pasadena. She is also the acclaimed author of Mr. Salesman (Twin Palms), Local News (D.A.P.), Still Life (Calloway), and Reservations (Knopf). Keaton lives and works in Los Angeles.